Happy Birthday, Naruto kun
by Noctra
Summary: No" has pretty much been the standard from Sakura since, well, forever. But tonight was supposed to be different! Down and dejected, this was NOT how a birthday was supposed to go... But then again, there's still one present Naruto hasn't gotten yet!


Happy Birthday, Naruto-kun

"_No_."

The famous, par-for-the-course answer Naruto was used to hearing from Sakura. Again. And again. And again.

But today though, he thought, was supposed to be different. Today was supposed to be _his_ day! His _birthday_, for crying out loud! Sure, she had gotten him a nice gift, a new set of scrolls… to put right beside Kakashi's nicely-wrapped Kunai set and Sai's somewhat disconcerting painting of, uh, whatever it was supposed to be.

Even though he hadn't had all that many birthdays when he had actually received gifts from people, something about that day had always been _his_. Like the time he won the Konoha lotto; granted it was a decidedly small pot, but still, things like that only happened on his birthday! Things were supposed to go _right_ for him today. Something _good_ was supposed to happen. He was planning to ask Sakura to be his _girlfriend! _She was going to have dinner with him, he was going to be sweet and charming and nice, she would be unable to resist his charisma!

But she declined. Just like always. Just like any other day. Nothing special, nothing magical, just a simple refusal. A "no", a "niet", "nein", "nada", "nope", "no way, José."

And even though it had happened so many times before, tonight it broke his heart. That "laugh-in-the-face-of-difficulty" smile that had always kept him going, kept him fighting, chasing his dreams, and kept him repeatedly getting turned down or beat up by Sakura... was gone. It was as though he had given up.

Of course, he could never actually do that… could he?

At any rate, it hardly mattered. That night, as far as he was concerned, Sakura always had and always would think of him only as a friend. Slowly, putting one despondent foot in front of the other, his feet began pulling him down the familiar path to Ichiraku's. That night, though, something was blocking his way.

"…oh. Hey, Hinata. What's up?" he asked.

Fidgeting and shy as ever, she managed to stammer out an "Oh, I was just… Ah, I couldn't help but… um… hear about you and Sakura… and, er…"

Naruto felt abysmal. _I guess bad news travels fast…_ He thought to himself. His bad mood was not improved by that fact that it was late and he was hungry.

"…that is to say, ah… I was wondering, since you're not, um… having dinner with Sakura, then… maybe I could… eat… some Ramen with you… tonight?"

Naruto sat on this for a second before it sunk in. _Hinata… is asking to have dinner with me?_

Being Naruto, he came to his own, completely wrong conclusion.

"No thanks, Hinata. It means a lot to me, but really, you don't need to! I know it's my birthday and all, but I can handle rejection. I'm used to it! I don't need a pity date, I promise."

Somehow, this unexpected reaction seemed to charge Hinata up with a strange, sort of pent-up anxious energy; with a strong need to prove that it wasn't like that!

She blurted out "That's not it at all! I… I really want to have dinner with you tonight, Naruto! It… It's very important to me!"

Luckily on her part, she had a nearby wall to lean on, supporting her when she very nearly fainted. Regaining her composure, though still red all over, she returned to her quiet fidgeting.

Naruto wasn't quite sure how to react to this; there was a significant period where neither could think of what to say. After several seconds passed, (seeming like hours to the pair) Naruto said something.

Pulling a trick from Sai's book, he forced grin and said "Uh, sure thing Hinata! Let's get some ramen!"

They walked to the ramen shop, neither one knowing how they should be feeling. Entering through the drapes at the entrance, the pair each took a stool and sat down.

Old man Ichiraku interrupted the silence with a loud "Well if it isn't Naruto here on his birthday, with his little girlfriend no less! Miso Pork, right? My treat!" Already at work on Naruto's order, he asked "so what'll you be having, missy?"

"Um, I'll have a diet ramen, please…" said Hinata.

As Ichiraku worked away at their orders, Naruto decided it was time to break the ice.

"So… Hinata… I'm glad you want to have Ramen with me tonight… can I ask why?"

Blushing, Hinata turned away a little as she thought carefully about what to say.

"I… ah, that is… well, Naruto-kun, do you… remember that time, at the Chunin exam? Before the finals?"

Thinking back, Naruto was able to vaguely recall something like that. He said "yeah, I remember… sort of. What about it?"

"Well, I talked to you about… ah… how I thought you were strong in your own way, and that you… make me feel strong…"

Nodding, but not really understanding, Naruto kept silent.

"What I also wanted to say… was that… I really think that you, Naruto, are… a really amazing, wonderful person!"

She rushed through the last line, blurting it out like it were a hot coal burning her from the inside and she was dying to get it out.

But she wasn't finished; she kept going, confessing this passion that she had been smothering for so long; saying "_I love you, Naruto!_ I've loved you for the longest time, and never been able to say anything! Today was the first time I've ever been able to admit it to you! I've been afraid… of what you might say. But I thought that… since today was your birthday… and you didn't have a date… maybe, I could do it… for you…"

Dying out at the end, so relieved and terrified at what she had just done, Hinata looked away. She didn't know if she wanted to see the look on Naruto's face right now.

If she hadn't, though, she would have seen a face full of astonishment, of amazement. Amazement that quiet little Hinata had been so bold, and amazement at what it was that she had been bold enough to say! He was at a loss for words.

He sat there, trying to figure it out. Trying to figure out exactly what it all meant.

Firstly, it meant that Hinata liked him. What that meant could come later.

Secondly, it meant he wouldn't be eating alone tonight.

Thirdly… well, before he could figure that one out, Ichiraku handed them both their ramen.

"One for Naruto's little friend…" he said, passing the lady Hyuga her bowl, "and one for Birthday Boy over here!"

Leaning forward, he whispered "hey… did something happen with Sakura? You two break up or something?"

Naruto frowned, then responded with an old standard; "It's complicated."

Needing no further explanation, Ichiraku returned to his kitchen.

Something in the smell of the ramen compelled the two to quietly enjoy their meal. After a time, though, Naruto felt compelled to break the silence once again.

"So, Hinata… You really like me that much?"

Red in the face, Hinata nodded.

"And you've been keeping it inside all this time?"

Another silent nod.

"And tonight you finally worked up the courage to ask me out…"

The last was more a rhetoric than anything else, allowing him to ponder the situation. A dozen things must have been running around in his head at that time; thick as it was, though, one thing he understood was love.

_Maybe…_ thought Naruto… _this wasn't going to be such a bad Birthday after all._

Mulling it over in his head, watching Hinata, and finally downing his broth with one big 'sluuuuurp', Naruto turned to his dinner companion and grinned.

"You know… this might be a stretch, but do you want to go get some **Anmitsu** after this?"

This was a bit too much for one evening; Hinata finally collapsed… right into Naruto's arms.

_It might take a little work… but it was going to be the best birthday gift he had ever received._

**(Anmitsu - fruit jelly ice cream. Not coincidentally one of Sakura's favorites.)**

Epilogue: The sight of the pair wandering blissfully around Konoha would become a familiar sight over the next few weeks. Even through Shino's sulking, Kiba's eye-rolling, and cries of "scandal" throughout the village, (not surprisingly, Kurenai sensei seemed to fall silent whenever the talk turned to the "inappropriate relationship"…) Hinata never had any doubts about what she did.

Eventually the skepticism and criticism stopped, and those whose initial reaction was "well, FINALLY…" were able to put their foresight to good use and chirp in for a resounding chorus of "We Told You So!" Prominent members of this chorus included Shikamaru Nara, Hatake Kakashi, and of course the omniscient Hokage, Tsunade.

Sakura could never really seem to get comfortable with the fact that her long-time admirer had moved on. Although she would never have admitted it, she even felt a little hurt that he had replaced her so easily. Eventually, though, she accepted their relationship and began pursuing alternatives. (Who wouldn't when, one day, a parade-sized float covered in the flowers bearing your name mysteriously showed up on your doorstep from an anonymous, green benefactor?)

And Naruto, in celebration of their happiness, insisted that once a month the happy couple go to Ichiraku's and order their favorite meal, to be followed by a round of Anmitsu for dessert.

-- The End.

A/N: I'm not exactly sure how likely this is, but if NaruHina ever really takes off, I'm pretty sure it'll be something like this. This is where I'm puttin' all my bets, baby!


End file.
